Many kinds of seat, for example for not exclusively those which are designed to be used for instance in aircraft, boats and the like comprise a seat or squab portion, a backrest portion which is adjustable in inclination relative to the seat portion, and adjustable armrests which are disposed beside the backrest portion, with each armrest having a respective fixing element for fixing it to a mounting element which is in turn carried on a suitable part of the seat. In such a seat, the mounting elements may be provided on the adjustable backrest portion, so that the armrests are secured to the backrest portion itself. In such a seat design, the armrests may be adjustable in respect of height and they may also be arranged to be pivotable about an axis which extends through the mounting element and the fixing element by means of which they are secured in position on the seat.
However, the seat design configuration suffers from the disadvantage that the position of the armrests is dependent on the adjusted angle of inclination of the backrest. Accordingly, if the occupant of the seat adjusts the angle of the backrest portion, it is then necessary to re-adjust the armrests to restore them to the position to which they had originally been set, prior to the adjustment to the angle of the backrest portion. It is frequently found that restoring the armrests to their correct original position as desired by the occupant of the seat not only requires the angle of inclination of the armrests relative to the seat portion to be altered in a suitable fashion, but it further requires adjustment to the armrests to restore them to the correct height in relation to the surface of the seat portion.
In such seats therefore adjustability of the armrests in respect of height above the surface of the seat portion is also based on the necessity that, when the angle of inclination of the backrest is changed, besides the resultingly changing angle of inclination of the armrests, the height of the armrests must also be adjusted.